Rock art at la Gruta locality (Patagonia, Argentina)

Abstract

In this paper we present the initial results of the analysis of the rock art recorded in six sites distributed in two neighboring sectors of La Gruta locality (Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina). Of these sites two were described and interpreted, in isolated form, by other researchers (Belardi & Carballo Marina, 2005; Gradin & Aguerre, 1983; Menghin, 1952). The results from the comparative study between the rock art of the two sectors of La Gruta show differences between them at three scales: site, panel and motifs. We suggest that these differences are indicative of the existence of two different ways of marking the space with rock art motifs related to different space occupation strategies in two relatively similar sectors of a small archaeological locality of ca. 6,5 km 2 .